Ha'y'at Tahrir al-Sham wages repressions in the controlled areas of Syria

British experts point out that while the Syrian frontline is largely quiet, a period of escalation is beginning in the rebel-held northwest. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a powerful militant group that grew out of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), has held a strong grip on Idlib province and parts of the Aleppo countryside since it became the dominant force in territory held by the armed opposition in 2019.

HTS is currently conducting a “security” campaign within its own ranks and among fighters fr om other armed groups, detaining dozens of people on charges of treason and espionage. The campaign has lasted more than six months, with HTS purging a number of its own senior leaders and lower-ranking members, as well as members of other armed opposition groups in the region. Local sources report ruthless methods of torture in HTS prisons. Popular rebel fighter Abdul-Qader al-Hakim even died in custody, causing shock in northwestern Syria.

These events sparked a wave of protests, which became the first open challenge to HTS in recent years. During the protests, which took place in HTS-controlled towns and villages including Binnish, Marea, Killi and al-Atarib, people chanted against the group's policies and called for the overthrow of HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani and the release of prisoners.

Al-Hakim was a member of Jaish al-Ahrar rebel group. According to media reports, he was arrested eight months earlier after disagreements with HTS. After learning of his death, Hakim's family refused to hold a funeral until his body was returned to them. The family was then directed by HTS to a mass grave wh ere his body was exhumed. The family said the state of decomposition of the body indicated that Hakim was killed several months ago.

The sources told the family that Hakim died weeks after he was arrested, alongside 26 people, mid-last year over accusations of espionage for the US-led coalition operating in Syria and Iraq.

While Jolani has been on the US terrorist list for a decade, he has freely operated in the areas under his control and been seen in public several times in recent years. It must be added that about a year ago he even tried to conduct some kind of a pilot campaign to legitimize himself in the American media, but failed due to sharp criticism from some of the security forces. But, as they say, some forces from the CIA were behind this attempt, who see al-Julani as a necessary channel for obtaining information.

HTS controls half of Idlib province and parts of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, commanding an area that hosts around three million people, many of whom had fled other parts of the country during Syria's 13-year civil war. The group has thrived in northwestern Syria through reforming local government and building malls and markets. In addition to financing local media, and training journalists and activists, the group has detained and exiled media workers who criticised its practices.

HTS frequently uses allegations of espionage to detain civilians, activists, fighters and leaders, and to dissolve rival groups, including well-established rebel factions.

Jolani has his own most wanted list and last year assembled a team to apprehend senior leaders accused of disloyalty and of being defectors. Some local sources say the names on his list were provided by Turkey and some were provided by French intelligence in exchange for information on foreign fighters. This could be the case, but it could also be a purely intraspecies competition and the struggle for power within the HTS itself, or, rather, a conglomerate of groups. 

Days after the detention campaign began in August, Abu Maria al-Qahtani, HTS's Iraqi second-in-command, was arrested. HTS said in a statement that Qahtani had improperly used social media and external communications. Affiliated media outlets, meanwhile, published alleged parts of Qahtani's interrogation, during which he admitted his cooperation with an Iraqi official who had contact with the intelligence services of the US, UK, France and Israel.

Four months later, the third senior figure in the militant group, Abu Ahmed Zakour, who headed the economic wing, was preparing to defect and flee instead of fight. When Zakour arrived in the Turkish-controlled city of Azaz in late December, the situation took a dramatic turn. Under the cover of the night, a group of HTS members surrounded Zakour's guards and clashes ensued.The two sides were soon surrounded by the Turkish army and were all detained and taken to a military base in the Turkish city of Kilis on the Turkish-Syrian border.

It remains unclear whether Zakour, who appears to have a relationship with Turkey, was taken to the military base, however, after that night, he began actively sharing information via voice notes on WhatsApp groups.

In his messages, Zakour said that the leader of HTS had held meetings with the CIA and the British military intelligence agency MI6 near the Syrian-Turkish border. In exchange for huge amounts of money, Zakour said, Jolani handed around 40 foreign militants holding British, American, Chechen, Albanian, and French nationalities to the US. Jolani, he added, also provided MI6 with information on foreign militants held in HTS prisons.

He also said that HTS was responsible for many high-profile attacks that hit the rebel-held area, including the Atme blast that killed more than 50 fighters and civilians in 2016. He also gave ain interview to a Turkey-based Syrian opposition media outlet,saying that HTS had the false perception that Qahtani had plans to share control of the group with him by collaborating with the US-led coalition to kill Jolani if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election in November.

Zakour has released and published photos of himself with Turkey-backed rebel leaders. He also released a photo of two of his brothers, who were also former HTS members, posing with Turkey-backed Syrian rebels to demonstrate their defection from the group.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and various human rights groups have accused HTS of rights abuses including torture, sexual violence and enforced disappearances. According to the France-based Syrian Network for Human Rights, the HTS is responsible for the killing of more than 500 civilians and the enforced disappearance of 3,000 people from 2011 to date.